Australian ballroom dancer Sharna Burgess of “Dancing with the Stars” chatted about starring in “Pen Pals” Off-Broadway show, where she plays Mags. It is being performed at the DR2 Theatre in Manhattan.
‘Pen Pals’
On being a part of “Pen Pals,” Burgess said, “It has been amazing! I’ve absolutely loved being on stage here and sharing that stage with Paige Davis (who plays Bernie). It has been such a gift! She’s a wonderful actress and human, and we’ve been having a really great time.”
Playing Mags in ‘Pen Pals’
On playing Mags, Burgess remarked, “Playing Mags has been so wonderful, especially to share her story. She is such an interesting human and the things that she experienced in her life and getting to build the way that they shaped her.”
“The show ‘Pen Pals’ is this really unique experience where you’re getting to play over 40 years of history. So at some point, Paige and I transport back and we’re kids and we’re 14 and it’s fast-paced and it’s exciting. As you age, you see those layers and filters as life happens,” Burgess elaborated.
“That certainly a lot happens in ‘Pen Pals,’ whether it is the personal experiences or the current events that they go through witnessing,” she said. “It’s a full life of stuff, and you see the way that it layers on them and weighs them and a part of them.”
“This is really fascinating to get to build that as an actress, and to share that, and play that story. I think what’s so special is you can hear the audience with you on every single bit,” she elaborated.
“On any given day, they’ll laugh at different things or they’ll cry on different things, she noted. “People resonate with something, whether it’s always the same thing or they’ve had their own experience of multiple sclerosis in their life.”
“There is always something that someone is going to resonate with. I think it’s just such a spectacular play,” she added.
Lessons learned from this show
On the lessons learned from this show, she reflected, “I think it just really helps you reflect on the female experience. I certainly was a teenager or a younger woman that had been in situations somewhat like Mags experienced at the Red Raven Pub when she was younger, not knowing how to process those.”
“Certainly Mags was in a time period where she felt she had less of a voice than I do. So, it made me very grateful to know that I had support around me in those things,” she said.
“Then, I think it also teaches you the importance of friendship,” she said. “The bottom line, this play teaches you the importance of friendship. While Mags didn’t have many people in her life, and she was a little cold to a lot of people in her life, but not Bernie because Bernie was her rock, even though they’ve never met in person.”
“Simply sharing her life, her words, and her experiences was really her anchor and what grounded her,” Burgess said. “Bernie brought her back down to earth and Bernie would ground her. It reminds us that female friendships are so important in our lives.”
“What I love about getting to witness in ‘Pen Pals’ is the beauty of female friendship,” she added.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “In Transition.”
“‘Dancing with the Stars’ has been a massive part of my life for a long time, and it still is. I judged on ‘Dancing with the Stars in Australia. I love my show here in the United States and will always be a part of it with them,” she explained.
“Now, I am shifting into acting and other forms of storytelling that I love so much,” she said. “I am balancing being a mom; we have four kids at home. I also want another baby. So, it’s a time of transition and balance. I am trying to figure out how to make it all work.”
Speaking of the kids, she had great words about Kassius Marcil-Green and praised him for being “the best” and a gifted artist and actor in his own right.
Dancing with Nick Carter on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Burgess recalled being partnered with Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys on “Dancing with the Stars.”
“It was great working with Nick; he is awesome,” she exclaimed. “Back then, he and Lauren announced their first pregnancy on the show, and now they have three babies.”
Success
Regarding her definition of success, she said, “I guess it can mean so many different things to so many people. Success, to me, is the life that I live at home. You know, are we happy? Are we healthy? Are we whole? Am I raising good humans? Am I raising good men? Do I have good friends around me? Do I feel loved every day by them? Do they feel loved by me?”
“For me, I’m all about my family and my people. Success, to me, is having a happy, healthy tribe around me, and knowing that we are all seen and heard and taken care of,” she added.
Closing thoughts on ‘Pen Pals’
For fans and viewers, she remarked about “Pen Pals,” “I want them to get the experiences meant for them. You know, to come and see them. I want them to know that when they sit down, a lot is going to happen. Some of it will feel like it’s from your own life.”
“Some of it will feel like it’s from someone else’s life. I want them just sit there and appreciate it and take it in. That’s the beautiful thing about art,” she observed.
“When we witness stories, it may be someone else doing it on stage. Just by watching it, it can help us feel through things. It can help us process things. It can inspire us in some way or it can help us move on,” she elaborated.
“Art is the most spectacular thing in the world,” she admitted. “Watching people tell stories is such a beautiful opportunity to get lost in it. I also want people to take something from it that was meant for them. I think everyone can take something from this show.”
To learn more about Sharna Burgess, follow her on Instagram.
